As a professional designer, Cynthia Florano works from a bank of experience. Much of the time, though, it's what she feels in her gut that guides her.

The sight of something as simple as a colour found in nature, a swatch of fabric or a rarely found piece of furniture can inspire the design of an entire room.

This is clear with a visit to her display home at Winchester Estates, ParkLane Homes' new townhome community in Langley's Murray's Landing.

In several spaces, small touches and accents add either country warmth or urban cool, all because Florano followed her passion, trusted her instinct for beauty, and ran with it.

For instance, in the master bed-room, a deep burnt gold plays with more neutral colours. Florano, who's now on leave caring for her new baby girl, recalls the moment she saw the hue.

"In the master bedroom, with the sultry dark gold as the accent colour, I started with selecting the fabric first. Once I found those key fabrics, it was just a matter of being inspired from there.

"Florals and accessories, even the wallcoverings in the ensuite, develop quite quickly. You need to find the one element that excites you."

In a corner of the dining room, she fashioned a nook into a workspace. (Buyers can elect to use that extra space to install a powder room, an option shown in the second display home). Beneath a long desk, there sit two unique pieces: stools shaped like drums and tied up on the side like a corset infusing a little humour into a home in the country.

"I really enjoy finding unique pieces, whether it's furniture, art or art objects that are whimsical and a conversation piece. It definitely is a thrill to find those perfect pieces," Flora-no says.

ParkLane Homes is attracting buyers who want to live in a country setting, but need urban amenities nearby. They get both in the new development, with shops, services and a recreation centre a five-minute walk away, while outside, they can take to bike paths and forested area for some calm.

As a designer, Florano adopts the same focus on the pastoral/urban duality.

"The message is that this is country and urban in one, though the interiors are decidedly urban, and could appear in any city home."

Nine-foot ceilings on the main floor make more room for storage, which ParkLane takes full advantage of, with kitchen cabinets that stretch to the ceiling.

She coupled a dark toned countertop and backsplash to create a clean but warm colour palette, and the flooring ties the look together. Nine-foot ceilings on the main floor give a big boost to the design, she says.

"(The high ceilings) contribute to creating a larger room, and we were able to give the kitchens larger upper cabinets for storage. As well, it really accents the wall space to accommodate larger furniture. The overall feel is closer to a single-family home, rather then a townhome."

PROJECT: WINCHESTER ESTATES

What: 24 three-bedroom town-homes in the first phase

Where: 21867 50th Ave., at 220th St., Langley

Residence sizes and prices: 1,294 -1,429 sq. ft, from $299,900

Developer: ParkLane Homes

Sales centre: 21867 50th Ave., at 220th St., Langley

Hours: noon - 5 p.m., Saturday - Thursday

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